The story line of Open Stove XXXIII is an odd one: For the first time, the competition was comprised of two graduates of the COOK Masters Program: Christopher Ritter of The Grubhouse and Kris Serviss of Blue Duck Sandwich Company. For those of you who don’t know, the COOK Masters Program is an annual, free instructional cooking series at COOK, taught by some of the country’s biggest culinary names, for students who are truly passionate about pursuing a professional career in the restaurant industry. So we took two people who’ve graduated from the program, put them up against one another, and watched them fight it out.

Last night, we held our 28th Open Stove cook-off. It was an inner-city rivalry: Fishtown gastropub Kraftwork vs. Graduate Hospital gastropub TheSidecar Bar & Grille. Both restaurants under the same chef/owners; both contenders doing some pretty awesome stuff in their own kitchens. But in the immortal words of Arthur Etchells, “I don’t eat eggs enough for dinner.”

So we made that happen.

It was a booze-y, brunch-y, Scissorhands-y dinner, full of all the breakfast favorites from Bisquick to scrapple. This night, like every other Open Stove, was exceedingly fun. So join us in our recap, and see with your own eyes what went down.

ANNIVERSARIES
There are two ways a restaurant can be and remain successful: It can stay relevant, or it can become a classic. Sometimes, when the planets align and the gods approve, the two happen simultaneously. Pumpkin has lived at 17th and South for what’ll soon be 10 years, the anniversary of the day when owners Ian Moroney and Hillary Bor grabbed hold of a space nobody believed in and created (and kept) the BYO atmosphere we all know and love.

Alas, with the surrounding restaurant neighborhood explosion — the fancy toasts, the small plates — tiny places like this can get lost in the scrum. But Pumpkin stayed true and stayed exciting. Fregola sarda (toasted beads of Sardinian pasta) risotto with an English pea salad on top was not only comforting, but a texturally fun play on popping peas and smooth risotto. And it was the succotash that brought the sweet, tang and heat (from Styer Orchard chili peppers) that tiny gobbets of snails reveled in.

It’s easy eating at Pumpkin — not dated, not too precious, not clinging to trends, but not losing sight of what Philadelphia wants, either. It’s a restaurant that’s both current and classic, and that still harks back to a day when Philadelphia began to do what we do best: bring our own.

The title may be misleading—last night’s event wasn’t all about booze. It was, as always, an impressive showdown between two extremely talented chefs. They came prepared, for sure; they came excited, no doubt; they cooked us a phenomenal meal. But while they were doing their thing behind the line, the alcohol was working its magic on the guests–mostly in the form of wine, tequila and an icy bottle of Grey Goose which (mysteriously…) didn’t last the night.

In the end and to say the least, we had a great time at Open Stove XXVII. But behind the line, one team had a better time than the other, so let’s recap and see how it all went down.

Noord’sbrunch menu is usually supplemented by weekly specials you probably won’t find on another brunch menu in Philly—like Zurkool & Eggs (beer-braised cabbage, smoked sausage and eggs) or Whole Trout Amandine. But usually, those specials include a frittata, and Joncarl loves frittatas.

To help your summer along, Foobooz plans to give you some recipes by notable chefs and bartenders in Philadelphia. We’re calling it the DIY Down the Shore series, and we’ll be posting them all week. We’re bringing Philly’s dining scene into your summer homes.

Kevin James Holland, the little man with the little bar in West Philly, Fiume, weighed in on our DIY series. And here’s his story:

To help your summer along, Foobooz plans to give you some recipes by notable chefs and bartenders in Philadelphia. We’re calling it the DIY Down the Shore series, and we’ll be posting them all week. We’re bringing Philly’s dining scene into your summer homes.

Derek Moorer has two things going for him:

1. Danger is his middle name. I’m not kidding, his name is Derek Danger Moorer.
2. He has the keen ability to make a drink that you never heard of, and that’ll knock your socks off.

He’s one of the Ranstead Room bartenders and also one of the three heads behind the Smoke & Spice pop-up bar we mentioned last week. He gave us a drink called the Vampire Finch.

To help your summer along, Foobooz plans to give you some recipes by notable chefs and bartenders in Philadelphia. We’re calling it the DIY Down the Shore series, and we’ll be posting them all week. We’re bringing Philly’s dining scene into your summer homes.

Phoebe Esmon, of Emmanuelle is one of this city’s great bartenders. She not only makes beautiful cocktails done right, but she’s well educated in what she does. So here’s a little schoolin’ from Ms. Esmon:

To help your summer along, Foobooz plans to give you some recipes by notable chefs and bartenders in Philadelphia. We’re calling it the DIY Down the Shore series, and we’ll be posting them all week. We’re bringing Philly’s dining scene into your summer homes.

Next up, the Better Loud Than Too Late from Keith Raimondi:Read more »